Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna has acknowledged that the loss of key players, such as Ireland international Chiedozie Ogbene, due to injury has been a significant setback for the club, which may prompt them to enter the transfer market next month.
Ogbene’s season was cut short after just five Premier League appearances due to a serious Achilles injury, a blow McKenna has felt keenly.
“It’s been a challenge. We’ve not been able to settle a team. Certainly on the right side at the moment we feel the loss of Axel (Tuanzebe) and Chieo (Ogbene). It’s such an important side of the team for us,” the Fermanagh native explained. He also highlighted the positive contributions of Ogbene’s teammate Jack Taylor, who netted his first Premier League goal for the club last week.
“The physicality that those two bring in the most physical league in the world in the most physical month of the season, we feel their loss,” McKenna added.
While the team has faced other challenges, he remains focused on the players available.
“There’s been some other disruption, but it is what it is. We focus on the players that we’ve got,” he said. “The players that have come into the team generally come in and do well in this environment. Jack Taylor was a good example against Bournemouth.”
“We’d liked to have had better availability over the course of the season, but we’re trying to deal with that the best we can and adapt as best we can. I think, in general, the players are doing a pretty good job of that,” McKenna continued.
He acknowledged that even with a full squad, the team’s bench might not have the same level of Premier League experience as others.
“Even with everybody fit our subs bench wouldn’t look like other subs benches in terms of Premier League experience,” McKenna noted. “Having lots of forwards available to rotate is really, really important for us and was a big part of our success over the last couple of seasons. We want to be at a full quota with those as often as we can and we want to make those positions as strong as we can.”
He also emphasized that the club made efforts to strengthen in the summer transfer window and will aim to do so again in January.
“We tried to make them stronger in the summer window and we need to make them stronger in the January window,” McKenna said.
In other news, Blackpool manager Steve Bruce has expressed optimism about the return of Irish defender Andy Lyons, who has been recovering from a long-term ACL injury.
Lyons, a former Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians player, has been sidelined since February but has recently been cleared to participate in some team training after spending an extended period rehabbing in the gym.
“He’s making big progress, which is good,” said Bruce. “I’ve seen him work his socks off around the training ground, so we’re hoping he comes back okay.”
“He’s on the grass and joining in with bits and pieces. I’ve not seen him or Elkan (Baggott) train really, so they’ll be like a couple of new signings,” Bruce added.
